With so many people moving to Wilmington from other states and countries, many new residents remain nostalgic for a taste of home. The new Pulaski Market on Oleander Drive in the Oleander Pointe shopping center aims to cater to those who want Polish staples.
Peter Wilczynski and Mark Zagulski have owned the Pulaski Deli in Myrtle Beach since 2012, but they noticed many customers making the trip from the Southport area to the deli. That’s when they realized the Wilmington area was craving Polish foods.
“We saw that there were opportunities in Wilmington,” Wilczynski said.
After coming to the United States on a student exchange and then becoming a lifeguard in Myrtle Beach, Wilczynski met Zagulski, also of Polish descent, and they decided to open a deli that would allow them to offer the taste of home that they were craving.
Their deli in Myrtle Beach has a full kitchen where they make their own hot foods and serve large lunch crowds. Many foods that are made there are available for heat and eat in their new Wilmington market as well as many other authentic, traditional Polish foods.
“These are recipes from my grandma that she has been making for many years, and they’re still the same recipes. People expect the same taste they grew up with, the same spices, the same proportions of ingredients, so that they always taste the same. It is important to have that same specific taste,” Wilczynski said.
Wilczynski’s grandmother’s recipe is what is used to make fresh pierogies in their Myrtle Beach deli. Eventually, they would like to add a kitchen to the new location, and they are working on a permit for a meat slicer.
For now, the market sells many of the foods that are made in and delivered from the Pulaski Deli, including fresh pierogies and cabbage rolls.
Among the market’s customer base, cabbage rolls seem to be a Wilmington favorite, according to Peter Wilczynski’s wife, Petya.
One customer said, “I haven’t had a cabbage roll like that in years. It was as good, if not better than, I remember my grandmother’s being.”
Petya Wilczynski credits their employees with the success they have seen at both locations.
“We have really good employees. They are really wonderful, and our help is key,” Petya Wilczynski said. “They are very knowledgeable about all of our foods.”
Peter Wilczynski said the deli and market are named for historical figure Casimir Pulaski, who is remembered in Poland as a man who fought for freedom on two continents.
For now, the Myrtle Beach Pulaski Deli and Wilmington Pulaski Market will continue to offer specialty Polish goods for those who enjoy Eastern European cuisine.
Most of the dry products are imported from Poland, including the teas, spices, flour, soups and candy. The meat and cheese selections at the market come from butchers in Chicago and New York.
The market offers different types of sausages, including fresh kielbasa, and most are vacuum-packed to ensure freshness and quality.
Many of the freshly baked goods are shipped from Syrena Bakery in Brooklyn, New York. Comfort-food delicacies include cheese babka and poppy seed strudels.
The market offers the family favorite Polish holiday cookie, kolachki, typically made with cream cheese-based dough and fruit fillings, one of Peter Wilczynski’s favorites.
Special Polish donuts, or paczki, usually filled with custard or fruit jelly, are available weekly.
Peter Wilczynski said that business booms most around holidays when people want to have the traditional foods for their celebrations. White borscht, also known as zurek, is especially popular for Easter and available at the market.
Traditional Polish foods are in stock at the Pulaski Market, including dill pickles, sauerkraut, sour foods and potato pancakes.
“We are proud to bring Polish foods to Wilmington. I think it is important to have a variety of foods from different cultures to explore in a city,” Petya Wilczynski said.
